West Valley Cities Real Estate

West Valley Cities – Litchfield Park and Beyond…

The West Valley consists of several cities that run along Interstate 10, including:

Avondale

Buckeye

Goodyear

Litchfield Park

While these West Valley cities are popular with local residents who commute into Phoenix, certain areas are equally popular with winter residents and real estate investors alike.

During the housing market construction boom, many of the agricultural fields that blanketed the West Valley were sold to developers who replaced them with subdivisions, to the delight of eager investors. Hard hit by foreclosure activity, even relative to many other areas of the Valley, the West Valley once again offers attractively price properties suitable for primary residences, vacation homes, and investment properties alike.

Avondale – From Agricultural Town to Commercial and Residential Hub

Nestled at the base of the scenic Estrella Mountains, where the Agua Fria, Salt and Gila rivers meet, Avondale is located off Interstate 10, just 15-minutes from the heart of Phoenix.

The city’s current population is approximately 77,000 and is expected to reach 106,000 by the year 2020.

Avondale is ideally situated in a commercial corridor at the crossroads of Interstate 10 and the Loop 101 and is a mecca of power retail centers, an extensive regional auto mall, hotels, restaurants, and business parks.

Avondale is proud to be the home of Phoenix International Raceway which draws hundreds of thousands of NASCAR fans to the “Jewel in the Desert” during their spring and fall race weekends each year.

Avondale Real Estate

Avondale real estate consists primarily of single family detached homes, with some ranch properties. Luxury real estate is not common in Avondale. In February 2012, the average sale price of a property in Avondale was $108,000 and inventory was running at a 2 month supply.
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Buckeye – Arizona’s Biggest Small Town

The recent historical roots of the Town of Buckeye go back to 1877, when Thomas New Clanton led a party of six men, three women and ten children, from Creston, Iowa, bound for Arizona in search of a climate that would foster better health.

The Town’s first canal was named the Buckeye Canal, in honor of the party’s native state of Ohio. In 1910, the Town was legally named Buckeye.

Agriculture has always been the cornerstone of Buckeye’s economy, and advances in transportation are credited with putting Buckeye on the map, starting with the Arizona Eastern Railroad in 1910. The business district expanded around the train station and the small town really began to grow.
Today there are are approximately 51,000 residents in Buckeye according to 2010 U.S. Census Data. Because the Town stretches over a huge 591 square mile area, it’s been nicknamed “Arizona’s Biggest Small Town.” Indeed, there’s considerable room to grow!

Shopping and Recreational Activities

Sundance Towne Center is the shopping hub for Buckeye residents, offering all the basics one might need, including PetSmart, OfficeMax, Wal-Mart, and Lowe’s.

The Buckeye Hills Recreation Area is located about 7 miles south of Buckeye, and offers about 4,500 acres of recreational activities, including hiking, camping, biking, as well as firearms practice at the General Joe Foss Shooting Complex.

Buckeye Real Estate

Buckeye is home to several master planned communities, including Sundance, Tartesso, Festival Ranch, Verrado, and Westpark. Indeed, plans for up to 30 communities are in various stages of development. Buckeye’s relative distance to Central Phoenix has held prices down relative to many other areas of the Valley. As a result, it’s possible to find recent construction single family homes in Buckeye for less than $70,000.

Goodyear – Roots in the Air Defense Industry

The Goodyear of today exists because of the cotton of yesteryear. It was part of the 16,000 acres purchased in 1917 for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company by junior executive Paul Litchfield. Cotton used to make rubber tires for airplanes in World War I was in short supply because foreign sources were in war torn countries or disease ridden. When Goodyear found that Arizona’s climate and soil was similar to foreign sources, the company sent Litchfield to purchase land.

The small community that formed as a result of the Goodyear Farms cotton industry first became known as “Egypt” for the Egyptian cotton grown there and then, finally, was called “Goodyear.” The community thrived as long as the cotton industry was strong, but after the war, cotton prices plummeted and Goodyear’s economy suffered.

However, World War II brought a recovery in the early 1940’s when the Litchfield Naval Air Facility and the Goodyear Aircraft Corporation located there, employing as many as 7,500 people at one time. Dirigibles or “blimps” were built at the Goodyear Aircraft Corporation.

The town of Goodyear was incorporated in November 1946. At that time, the town had 151 homes, 250 apartments, a grocery store, drug store, barber shop, beauty shop and service station.

Then, in 1949, a long history of aerospace and defense programs began in Goodyear when the Goodyear Aerospace Corporation replaced the Goodyear Aircraft facility. That plant was later sold to Loral Defense Systems and eventually evolved by merger and acquisition into the current Lockheed Martin Corp.

The Litchfield Naval Air Facility was the training base for the Navy Blue Angels aerial demonstration team until 1968. After the war, the Naval Air Facility served as a storage base for thousands of World War II aircraft that were moth balled and salvaged.

Then, in 1968, the Navy sold the airfield to the City of Phoenix which named it the Phoenix-Litchfield Airport. In 1986, it was renamed the Phoenix-Goodyear Airport.

In the 1980s, the 10,000 acres that remained of the original Goodyear Farms was sold to SunCor which developed much of the land into the Palm Valley master planned, mixed-use community located north of I-10 in Goodyear.

Goodyear Today

Goodyear has received numerous awards and accolades that testify to its popularity and success. In 2008, Goodyear was named an All-American City. During the same year, it was also awarded “Most Livable City” by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. For the years 2000-2006 it was recognized as the 4th fastest growing suburban city under 100,000 in the U.S. As of 2010, Goodyear recorded a population of about 65,000 residents.

Recreational Activities

Goodyear Ballpark is the Spring Training home to Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds. Tens of thousands of fans enjoy open-air ballgames in a climate that boasts 320 days of sunshine each year.

Goodyear also offers extensive outdoor and indoor recreational activities, including two community parks, a pool, eleven neighborhood parks, a dog park, and a skateboard park.

Hiking enthusiasts will love Estrella Mountain Park and White Tank Park. Nearly 60 miles of trails are available for hiking, cycling, and horseback riding. Outdoor classes are also offered at the parks on topics such as stargazing, native culture and archaeology, and local plant and animal life.

Golfers will enjoy the challenging courses at the Golf Club of Estrella (rated #8 Best Public Golf Course in Arizona by Ranking Arizona) Palm Valley Golf Club (Rated 4 stars by Golf Digest), Tres Rios Golf Course, or Pebblecreek Eagle’s Nest Golf Club.

Shopping, Dining, and Entertainment

Despite it’s small population, Goodyear’s strategic proximity to other major metropolitan areas has helped it secure major retailers and dining establishments on par with much larger cities. Shopping malls and power centers are numerous and include Goodyear Centerpointe and Parkway Village.

Goodyear Real Estate

Goodyear real estate consists primarily of single family detached homes. Condos and townhouses are few and far between. The city is dominated by several master planned communities, including: PebbleCreek, Palm Valley, Canyon Trails, Kings Ranch, and Estrella.

Due to the amenities and relative proximity to Phoenix, home values in Goodyear tend to be higher than other West Valley cities, with the exception of Litchfield Park. In February 2012, the average sale price in Goodyear was about $163,000.

Litchfield Park – Easy Access to Central Phoenix

A town of about 6,000 residents over 3.1 square miles, Litchfield Park is located 2 miles north of I-10 and 16 miles west of central Phoenix. It is a unique suburban community boasting a wholesome, casual atmosphere with beautiful homes, mature landscaping, charming sidewalk cafes, the celebrated Wigwam Golf Resort, award-winning schools and friendly neighbors.

The community was originally settled in early 1910 when the first land claims were filed by William Kriegbaum of Riverside, CA, – 640 acres which included that land which now is the City’s downtown area. The initial plan of the earliest settlers was to develop the area west of the Agua Fria River as citrus groves. In 1916, Akron, Ohio-based Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company sent Paul W. Litchfield, then a junior executive with the Company, to purchase a huge land parcel in this area – ultimately 16,000 acres, which included the land claims of the original settlers. The objective was to grow Egyptian long-staple cotton for use in reinforcing straight-sided pneumatic automobile and truck tires. With the advent of World War I, Goodyear Tire could no longer obtain their cotton supply from overseas.

Paul Litchfield came to love this area, and made Litchfield Ranch into the headquarters for Southwest Cotton Company (later Goodyear Farms), which put thousands of acres under cultivation in the region. In the 1920’s Paul and Florence Litchfield built their beautiful winter estate, “Rancho La Loma”, on the hill overlooking the townsite. The company town was officially named Litchfield Park in 1926. The Wigwam Resort, begun as simple guest housing (originally called “Organization House”) for visiting Goodyear Tire executives from Akron, Ohio, was expanded and opened as a public resort in November, 1929. From 1931 to 1944 this area was also home to the test site for Goodyear auto, truck and tractor tires. Paul Litchfield was instrumental in the establishment of Luke Air Force base just north of the community; and Litchfield Park grew extensively during and after World War II.

Litchfield Park was incorporated as a city in 1987. The Litchfield/Denny family estate, Rancho La Loma, is presently under the control of the City of Litchfield Park, and plans are being generated by the City for the restoration of the site and its buildings, and eventual development of the property for public use.

An Arizona “Best Place to Live”

The high quality of living and community benefits contributed to Litchfield Park being named “One of the Eight Best Places to Live in Arizona.”

The Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium is located in Litchfield Park and houses Arizona’s largest selection of rare and exotic animals and fish.

Concert and special event aficionados will enjoy the proximity to Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion, a popular tier one concert venue, and Phoenix International Raceway, home of the popular NASCAR events.

Litchfield Park Real Estate

As a small community, real estate in Litchfield is something of a rare commodity. Also, proximity to Phoenix and convenient access to amenities have helped property values. Condos and townhomes are scarce, as single family detached residences dominate the landscape. As of February 2012, the average sale price of a single family home was $181,319.

FAIR HOUSING STATEMENT: Stone House Realty of Arizona supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act (Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968), which prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and handicap.